Quote from: 976bar on September 02, 2009, 07:09 PM
Sorry George, and sorry to everyone for revealing the originators details, but I was so impressed with this recipe that I wanted to share it with everyone. It didn't occur to me that the originator would not have wanted this......

I now feel ashamed as I did not want in anyway to reveal anyones identity. I think I should remove myself from this site.

All's good  :

Bought one of these at the weekend , wicked for chopping Onions / Fresh Garlic & Ginger or whatever , very small unit.

http://direct.tesco.com/product/images/?R=205-9790

Hi all ,made a Chicken Biryani as per video today and although the family and me agreed it was very tasty we all agreed it was a very dry meal.My Daughter regularly orders a Chicken Biryani from our local T/A and that has Chicken in Rice in one container and fried ? vegetables and a sauce ( base sauce maybe )in another container this seems more enjoyable ,any thoughts you guys ? 

976bar Dont give up yet !I also made the sNs base yesterday ,this is the second time I have made this base and I although have made other bases my best Madras Curry results are by using this base and the sNs Madras recipe.I find I need a full 300ml of base per Curry portion and be careful not to overcook the Curry ,once the last ladel of (heated)base is stirred into your Curry it only takes a minute or so stirring until the Curry takes on a uniform colour and it's ready ,if you cook for too long you will only reduce the liquid in the Curry and it can become to thick ,if you then add water you run the risk of a watery tasting curry .

Just had a quick search on the net , some Indian Salad recipes do contain Olives.

Quote from: CurryOnRegardless on August 23, 2009, 05:10 PM
Bloody hell, dansak looked more like dog shite FFS. Anyone know where this Fatimas is, just so we can avoid the place like the plague. Yuk.

Funny you should say that ,all the video's I have watched of that kitchen nothing looks very appetizing 

Thanks' JerryMfor your time and effort ,having all this info can only be good 

Quote from: 976bar on August 22, 2009, 01:39 PM
I think with any curry made from scratch, you need a large onion, and fry it gently till it is light brown in colour, soft and transluscent, I usually use a mixture of both oil and a little butter as this brings out the flavour and the butter adds as a thickening agent too. When the onion is almost done I then add the pureed garlic and ginger and cook that with the onion. It doesn't need as much cooking as the onion and if garlic is cooked for too long or too hot it imparts a bitter taste which I think ruins the taste of a curry.

I then blend all this into a puree and use that as my base. You can then cook it in a pan with tomato paste and any spice mix you like depending on the type of curry you want to make.

The Kashmiri Chicken Masala I posted on here started out that way and its one of the best curries I have ever made from scratch.

I hope this helps

Thanks' 976bar ,That is basically how i have been cooking my ' from scratch ' curries which is as we were shown at the cookery class ,except the puree part and this is what seems to cause the biggest problem I just cannot seem to cook it down enough to get a smooth sauce ( for a Madras anyway ). We were shown a CTM and the Cream that was added is what gave that dish it's smooth and creamy texture so your idea to puree the ingredients creating a base sauce sounds good .The other problem I have had is despite putting in plenty of Spice the flavour is just not there  I just cant understand it ! My previous Curries made with a base have been excellent.

Quote from: billycat on August 23, 2009, 01:52 PM
976bar

i am not knocking were you eat at all

what i am knocking is the presentation

and show me an authentic / bir dish with OLIVES

And no chips either billycat  :

Quote from: JerryM on August 22, 2009, 08:55 AM
emin-j,

i've never used frozen base - it just does not sit well. i make a 800g onion base or 7 portions - it gives us 2 curry nights during the week (i x2 to include a weekend).

i do think curry from scratch (and i mean BIR) is achievable but it would take some time perfecting - i too have good lady telling me to stop messing about though.

i very much agree on the butter/ghee although i've adopted marg. i do think the base has a big part to play but the cooking/frying is not to be left out either.

JerryM

From the time I spent in the kitchen of the local T/A and they put some Butter Ghee in their cooking oil I have used it most times ,it definitely brings a richness to the Curry.
The 'cooking from scratch 'is not as easy as I thought but have not given up on it yet ,I think as I make 2 Curries on a Saturday night and I like my Curry hotter than the Wife's I will make the Wife's with a fresh made base and mine from ' scratch ' hopefully I can learn something that way  : Can you recommend the ingredients and method ( I prefer a fried base sauce over a boiled one )for a 1 portion base ? What do you think of the base in chriswg's latest Madras experience.